The homicide of a York City woman last week was deemed a "Group Violence Initiative" event, according to police.

Elizabeth Grisel Vega-Tirado, 48, of West Princess Street, died June 27 after she was shot outside a store on the street where she lived. York City Police Chief Wes Kahley said it appeared Vega-Tirado was an "innocent victim."

The department said in a news release Monday that the homicide prompted a GVI response, which resulted in more than 100 contacts.

The premise of the initiative, offered through the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, is that a very small number of people in any city perpetrate the vast majority of violent crimes. So to reduce violent crime, law enforcement has to identify and target that small group of people who are often involved in gangs or the drug trade or both. Those targeted then carry the message back to their associates.